


still get my heart racing

by NatureGirl202



Series: silent nights and fitful sleep [4]
Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: :P, Earthborn (Mass Effect), F/M, and yes one of these was inspired by taco bell hot sauce packets i regret nothing, loose usage of the term "propose"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 09:37:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10273916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatureGirl202/pseuds/NatureGirl202
Summary: five times shepard proposes, plus one time kaidan does.





	

_1 ;_

“Alenko, I could marry you.” The words are out before she can stop them. It’s the morning after the Feros mission and most of them are still exhausted to the bone. She’d spent the better part of her night cleaning that gunk out of crevices she didn’t even know she _had_ and only then had she been able to crawl into bed, but it’d seemed like she’d just closed her eyes when her alarm had gone off, leading to her being unusually tardy to the mess hall for breakfast. She’d sat at her usual spot at the end of her squad’s usual table and all she could think was _coffee_ , when a stupidly delicious smelling mug had been held in front of her and she’d blinked at it dumbly, before looking to the person offering it. It was Kaidan, of course, being ridiculously thoughtful. He’d made it just right, too: more cream than coffee—later, she’ll realize this is proof that her secret stash of creamer isn’t so secret and that the crew _have_ been taking advantage of her stash despite their adamant denials.

The drink had just tasted _so good_ , though, and she was just so tired that the words had slipped out without much thought.

Everyone at the table has practically frozen and she can feel her cheeks redden and see Kaidan’s doing the same and nobody’s talking and someone _really_ needs to say something. Wrex is too busy snickering, Ashley looks entirely too pleased, Garrus is feigning inattention, and Tali is watching like they’re the stars of her favorite soap opera.

Ashley, apparently, is the first to decide to have some mercy on them. “I hope your standards are higher than just a good cup of coffee, Commander.”

Thank God, she’s saved, but Ashley’s still sporting a smug grin, so a retaliation is in order. She grabs a piece of whatever-the-hell Wrex is eating and tosses it at the other women, who cleanly dodges without losing the smug look. “Shut up, Williams.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

  _2 ;_

“You’re total husband material.” She isn’t sure what it is about this man that brings out her almost _awkward_ side, but she’s never had so many verbal blunders around anyone else as she has him. Sure, it’s still not a large amount compared to those who naturally stumble their way through life, but it’s still more than she’s used to. This time, at least, she can probably blame it on the fact that she’s had one or two more beers than she normally indulges in. She’s not _drunk_ , she’s never been anything more than tipsy, but she’s still feeling lighter than she usually does. Maybe that’s not even the alcohol, though. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s at the beginning of three weeks of shore leave. Maybe it’s because she had just saved the entire galaxy some days ago. Maybe it’s because she’s at the Alenko family orchard and the whole place is just so _beautiful_ , that she can only compare it to pictures she’s seen. Maybe it’s just the man sitting at the table with her, currently coughing as he chokes a little bit on his food.

“What?”

She shrugs and blushes and damn, she’d really thought she’d kicked that habit when she was a teenager. “I’m just saying.” Her eyes are on her plate and she’s debating the pros and cons of if she’d actually been crushed in stupid Sovereign’s wreckage.

“Is that a _proposal_ , Shepard?” Her gaze snaps to him and for a brief moment she panics, before seeing the grin on his face and playful glint in his eyes and she registers the teasing tone to his voice. Her eyes narrow, fighting the urge to imitate that contagious smile of his.

“ _No_. It was meant as a compliment toward your cooking. You shouldn’t look so far into things, Alenko.” She’s enraptured by him and his smile and the way his eyes light up when he’s happy. She’s in so very much trouble: her record for relationships in general is little to none and she wishes her romantic one was as nonexistent. But she doesn’t quite care anymore. He’s worth the risk, she knows this now.

“Of course not, ma’am.”

“Of course not.”

 

_3 ;_

“And this is my fiancée, Aidan.” They’re undercover, investigating a colony both the Council and the Alliance suspect of dealing with the Geth. Shepard’s got a black wig on with bangs to help make sure she doesn’t get recognized, but it was deemed Kaidan is unrecognizable enough to go to a colony on the rim of the Milky Way without a disguise. It’s their first mission since the Citadel and it’s going fairly smooth so far, but he’s not thinking about that. It’s only been a moment since the words have left Shepard’s mouth and he’s realizing that all she did was take the _K_ out of his name and he’s trying to stifle his laughter.

Luckily, he’s a professional, so the only sign of his sudden amusement is a twitching of his lips that he quickly covers by taking a sip from the drink he’s holding. The woman they’re speaking with extends a friendly greeting to them and congratulations on their engagement, before leading them on a tour of the colony’s accommodations, their story being that they’re considering a move and this colony just seems like _such_ a nice place, doesn’t it, dear?

It’s only later when they’ve slipped away and she’s hacking into the colony’s private trade records that he brings it up. “ _Aidan_?”

Her eyes remain rooted to the stream of data, but she cocks an eyebrow as she shrugs. “I’ve never claimed creativity in the name department.”

“You picked your last name.”

“Yeah and half the kids in the gang were always asking me where my flock was, so.”

 

_4 ;_

_Marry Me?_ The words are printed right there and he has to bite back a laugh that out of _all_ the sauce packets, she would toss him this one from the Alliance’s extremely short-lived attempt to spice up its regulation food with quirky sayings on its sauce packets like some fast food chain.

They’re having a late dinner in her quarters as the ship heads toward its destination of Alchera and she’s looking at him curiously, wondering what brought on his sudden amusement. He turns the pack so that she can read the words as he speaks. “Moving a little fast there, Shepard.”

Her eyes narrow into the mock glare he’s become so familiar with and he watches as she grabs her napkin, balls it up, and promptly tosses it at him. He doesn’t bother dodging it, the light material hitting him right in his temple and all he does is blink once, grin not fading. “Shut up, Alenko.” His last name: he’s either in trouble or she’s amused. It’s the latter, thankfully.

“I’m flattered, Shepard, really, but-” She lets out a laugh and cuts him off by grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him in for an impromptu kiss. He reciprocates happily and by the time she pulls away, they’re both grinning.

“I hate you.” Both of them are still smiling, though, because they both know she doesn’t, not even a little bit.

 

_5 ;_

“Marry me.” It’s the middle of the night, her fish tank casting them in a dim glow and Thessia is still fresh in their minds—she blames herself for the loss and he can’t forget how close he came to losing her again—when she speaks for the first time in hours. Her voice penetrates the quiet, but is soft enough to not break the stillness of the room. It surprises him nonetheless, though. He turns his face toward her sharply, causing his chin to knock into her temple. She flinches back. “Ow.”

He winces. “Crap, sorry.” He releases her hand he’d been holding to his chest to massage gently at the spot and her face scrunches up slightly.

“S’okay” she says, already relaxing again and he remembers what started this whole fiasco. Had he heard her right? It seems like it’d be hard, to mistake some other words for those two, but she’d spoken softly and she’d been slightly muffled by his skin, so he can’t be sure.

He shifts onto his side to face her and waits until her eyes connect with his before speaking just as quietly as she had before. “What did you say?”

She doesn’t break eye contact as she scoots closer, back within his space, and grabs his hand, entwining their fingers. “Marry me.” His heart pounds in his chest, but she rushes forward before he can even respond. “Not now, I mean, but someday, when this is all over, I want to marry you.” Her gaze is open and vulnerable and he wonders if she thinks he might say no, if that’s even a possibility in her mind. Because it’s not in his.

“Alright.”

A smile starts to grow on her face, it’s the most genuine one he’s seen on her in a while, and he finds his own face copying hers. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He isn’t sure which one moves first, but it doesn’t matter because her lips are moving against his and for the briefest of moments, they can pretend that everything’s alright and the galaxy isn’t falling apart at the seams.

 

_+1 ;_

“Will you marry me?” The war’s been over for three years and some days it still feels like yesterday, while others it feels like centuries. There are scars that have healed and some that probably never will, of the physical and not-so-physical kind. There’s been setbacks, but the galaxy is already half rebuilt and while they were never broken, they’ve reached a place of stability that he knows she’s never known and for the first time in a while, he’s looking forward to each and every morning.

The breeze of the orchard air is cold, but the stars are clear above them from their spot on the master balcony. It’s quiet around them, just the rustle of leaves and the feint tune of the song they’d been listening to in the living room when he’d brought her out here. He’s down on one knee despite the protests of both her and his bad knee. If he tweaks something, it’ll be worth the stern looks he’ll receive from both Shepard and his physical therapist. Her eyes are wide, flitting to his mother’s engagement ring before locking onto his face.

Time is slowing to a crawl and his heart is pounding. He’s a little nervous, honestly. He knows she won’t reject _him_ , but she may reject _marriage_. She’d said she wanted to marry him before, when the war was still going strong and no one was honestly certain if they’d all make it out and if so, in what condition. But so much has changed now. _They’ve_ changed. Not in any way that’s good or bad, just the way people must when finding an entirely new place in life.

Finally, _finally_ , she moves. She drops to her knees in front of him and he hears the low sound of the machinery in her cybernetic one moving. Her hands cup his face and she smiling and she’s so beautiful, but he doesn’t have much time to revel in that because she’s pulling his face in for a kiss and he’s all-too-happily obliging. The kiss is deep and long and by the time she pulls away to rest her forehead against his, he’s on both knees and she’s practically in his lap, both hands combing through his hair.

They’re both breathing heavy and grinning like fools. “Is that a yes?” His voice is low, but tone teasing. She nods quickly, letting out a breathless laugh with him. She watches then as he slides the ring onto the appropriate finger, before returning her gaze to his. Her eyes are moist and he gives her nose a light kiss, causing her to giggle.

They stay there for a moment, basking in each other’s presence and the pure sense of peace surrounding them. Eventually, he speaks. “Happy, future Mrs. Alenko?”

She hums. “You could say that, future Mr. Shepard.”

He laughs. They’ll figure it out. They have plenty of time.

**Author's Note:**

> Also on [tumblr](http://bxtgrl.tumblr.com/post/158364594937/still-get-my-heart-racing). <3


End file.
